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@emma-Flournoy I will definitely check out those stories. Thanks for the link! And, yes, I’m probably WAY overdue on my TPB dosage. 😜
*is probably geeking out about something*
@graciegirl One thing to remember is that characters (and people) aren’t always logical. From an outside perspective, one can stand back and shake their head at a character and wonder what they are thinking and why they don’t just get it. But inside the character’s head is another matter. Emotions and beliefs twist together and they will sometimes focus on one thing so hard they miss the big picture. What they think and how they act don’t always match up either, even if they don’t realize it (such as a villain who doesn’t believe in mercy but shows mercy on occasion himself). These paradoxes are part of what can make a villain even more fascinating than a hero because they are so much more distinct.
This isn’t to say a character can just run around acting for illogical reasons, but if you can show how it is logical in their own mind, and how they believe it, and why, then it can work quite well even when it isn’t the right belief. Giving a villain a sympathetic reason for believing something wrong is more powerful than them simply being heartless because it shows the reader how they (theoretically) could fall into the same sort of trap if they went down the wrong path, as well as showing how easy it is to go down the wrong path. It’s not something that certain heartless people do and everyone is ‘safe’. Even the villains were normal once.
INTJ - Inhumane. No-feelings. Terrible. Judgment and doom on everyone.
Wow. Thanks, @Hope! I think that is just the advice I needed. 😀 That is exactly what has been tripping me up. Thank you!
*is probably geeking out about something*
@graciegirl Glad I could help. Villains can be so much fun, once they fall in place.
INTJ - Inhumane. No-feelings. Terrible. Judgment and doom on everyone.
@GracieGirl Great. 😀
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